A Simple Principle That Has Had A Profound Effect On My Life

Dr. Frank Sells was one of my favorite Bible teachers. I can see him now, sitting on the platform, in his conversational way, showing some of the most powerful truths I have ever seen in the Word of God. Many of his statements were, as one author said, “velvet-covered bricks.” They landed gently but made a huge impression on life.

I find myself quoting Dr. Sells almost every week. One of his famous statements was, “Truth is not found in the acceptance of one extreme or the other; often it is found in the acceptance of both.” One truth never cancels out another.

Do we believe in the sovereignty of God or the free will of man? Yes!

Do we believe in repentance or faith? Both!

Do we believe in faith or works in the life of a believer? Read Romans and James for the answer.

Pastor Clarence Sexton frequently referred to such realities as “inseparable truths.” Indeed, God’s truth is indivisible. Truth is a body of doctrine. Every part connects in some way to the whole.

This principle is not only true of our doctrine, but it is true in our lives. All of us tend to swing so far in one direction that we ignore the equally important truth on the other end.

Remember that the same God who is just is also loving. He is not more of one attribute than He is of another-God is the perfection of all. The Lord Jesus Christ was “full of grace and truth.”

God’s children should seek to reflect His complete character…

• Our anger for sin must be coupled with His love for sinners.
• Our brokenness over the culture must be coupled with the joy of the Lord.
• Our strength of convictions must be coupled with the gentleness of Jesus.
• Our confidence in God must be coupled with humility before men.
• Our contentment in Christ must be coupled with a holy discontentment over the needs around us.
• Our willingness to fight the enemy must be coupled with a willingness to make peace with the brethren.

I have in our home a pendulum that belonged to my grandfather. It is fascinating to watch the swing of momentum, the reaction of gravity, on those simple little steel balls. It is an illustration of the way many Christians live their lives. Be careful! Your reaction has a chain reaction on others.

We must not allow ourselves to react to the forces around us or the feelings within us. The only law that should govern our movement is the law of God. God’s Word is not a pendulum; it is a plumb line (Amos 7:8). By it you can measure everything else.

It holds a true line. It does not change. It alone can show the straight course in a crooked age. Accept the truth on both sides. Avoid the error on both sides. Allow the Scriptures to guard your belief and guide your behavior.

Resources:

Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth

About Scott Pauley